Transnet strike leaves commuters stranded

South African commuters were left stranded on Monday morning as the strike by Transnet rolled forth and not a single train was in operation leaving as many as 2.9 million commuter stranded.

The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (Prasa), the controlling company of Metrorail and Shosholoza Meyl , warned on Sunday that commuters would have to make alternative arrangements because all its services will be suspended on Monday.

Prasa employs about 18 000 in total, with 800 people working for the Meyl and as many as 10 000 at Metrorail.

The strike has been going on for a week with the unions are demanding increases of 15%. The two parties have been locked in negotiation since March and, with only a few weeks to go until the World Cup senior manager at Prasa, Tony Gamef is concerned.

"The unions' timing is questionable. There is still no clarity as to when the strikes will end," Gamef said. Satawu senior spokesperson, Jane Barrett however insists that there is motive behind the strikes.

"There are agreements with employers in terms of which wage negotiations start in March every year. If the negotiations are not concluded by April, a dispute is declared. If the dispute is not resolved, strikes follow," Barrett said.

"It was unfortunate that the World Cup was around the corner, but that was simply a coincidence," she added. Tinzi Lubabalo, a spokesperson for Satatwu, said that the union's demands were not farfetched.

He believes that the increases are easily affordable since, according to him, labour costs amounts to less than 34%.

"The company was also subsidised by the state. Prasa has no grounds to say it could not afford the increases," said Lubabalo.

Transnet meanwhile revealed that the damage caused to its trains and infrastructure by strikers has already amounted to R24m.

Recent Articles

FeaturedRegister your customary marriage or lose the right to inherit estate

December is that time of the year when we will see at least one suitor sending his uncles to negotiate the price of his future wife. Lobola, as the bride price is known, has always been an important element of the African marriage.

Changing from one medical scheme to another - effortlessly

It is coming up to the end of the year and you might be looking to change medical schemes, or options within a scheme in preparation for the new year. While you don’t necessarily have to wait for year-end to do so, providers often recommend it.

Your guide to financially surviving Christmas

There are a few times each year where you need to dig deeper into your pocket and spend more money such as birthdays, anniversaries, and the Christmas period. Whether you celebrate this religious holiday or not, the festive period - depending on how you choose to spend it - means increased travelling, buying of gifts, entertaining, and eating out at restaurants.

Trump, Trump and a little bit of South Africa

What a November we had, with the rand staging one of its best months and closing below the R14.00 level. To be honest, this looked like quite a far-fetched possibility at one stage during the month. It seems that the tide has changed a little, even though it might be short lived since the US dollar bulls are not so sure of their case anymore.